People who make computer viruses should be given the death penelty

[Rapscallion]

I prefer the punishment of having to format floppy disks. Lots of floppy disks. With one floppy drive.

DOS formatting. No 'net connection.

Rapscallion

[protege]

While we're at it...why not make them use an 8088, or Z80-based machine to do the work

[Dreamstalker]

Punch cards. Wait, that might be too cruel...nah. Infect their machine with a virus they've never seen, force them to code a defense.

Or, just make them write code to open the food slots. One card out of sequence? Sorry, no food until you fix it. No hints.

[HYHYBT]

I like HYHYBT's idea of sentencing them to time spent in a room with nothing more advanced than a pencil.

Hmmm.... well, since somebody actually likes the idea, I have to admit to stealing it from "On The Fastrack". It was the punishment given to Rose Trellis's ex-husband.

[Vagabond]

Infect their machine with a virus they've never seen, force them to code a defense.

I don't know if Windows Products (Vista, XP, Millenium) count technically as 'viruses' but make them code those over until they work properly? i.e. no bugs at all? (I don't think that's possible with a Windows product, so... they'd have a while)

[crashhelmet]

I don't know if Windows Products (Vista, XP, Millenium) count technically as 'viruses' but make them code those over until they work properly? i.e. no bugs at all? (I don't think that's possible with a Windows product, so... they'd have a while)

If I remember right, Windows 95 met every industry standard definition of a Virus when it was released. I could only assume the newer ones meet them as well. Vista more than any other

CH

[Boozy]

If I remember right, Windows 95 met every industry standard definition of a Virus when it was released. I could only assume the newer ones meet them as well. Vista more than any other

I don't understand. How can an operating system that someone installs on their own computer be considered a virus? What am I missing?

I'm not arguing anything, I'm just really curious.

[Dreamstalker]

In Vista (and I can only assume Win7 as well, I've heard some horror stories from a family member who tried to install it) a lot of so-called features try to protect the user from themselves--in the process limiting productivity*. A number of components (IE, anyone?) seem to open more security holes than they patch.

* Each time I thought I've disabled UAC in registry, it comes back with the next update and has some new way of not letting me run "unsigned content" (I know it's safe dammit!)

95 effectively prevented anything useful from being done...isn't that a definition of a virus?

[Ghel]

I remember reading a short story (written in the days where computers were still room-sized things) that told of a computer hacker who had been put through mental conditioning so that he could not use a computer under any circumstance. The world was much like what we're approaching today, in that nearly everything in the world was run by computer. He couldn't even order food or buy clothing because he couldn't use the computer that took his payment. He eventually ran into a lawyer who agreed to help him, saying that the punishment was too severe. But I disagree. When a hacker (or virus writer) can ruin somebody else's life with a tiny bit of code, preventing the hacker from ever using a computer again would be a fitting punishment.

[crashhelmet]

I don't understand. How can an operating system that someone installs on their own computer be considered a virus? What am I missing?

I'm not arguing anything, I'm just really curious.

There are a set of definitions that define a program as being a virus. I'm having trouble finding those now outside of "It's a program that can replicate itself and corrupt other files, etc, etc."

I did find the old Windows is a Virus Joke that grew out of it all though.

With the recent problems being encountered by Windows users all across the country, people are begin to ask themselves if windows is a virus. In response to the high demand for an answer to that question a study was done and concluded the following.

1. Viruses replicate quickly.
Windows does this.

2. Viruses use up valuable system resources, slowing down the system as they do so.
Windows does this.

3. Viruses will, from time to time, trash your hard disk.
Windows does this.

4. Viruses are usually carried, unkown to the user, along with valuable programs and systems.
Windows does that too.

5. Viruses will occasionally make the user suspect their system is too slow (see 2) and the user will buy new hardware.
Same with Windows, yet again.

Maybe Windows really is a virus.

Nope! There is a difference!

Viruses are well supported by their authors, are frequently updated, and tend to become more sophisticated as they mature. So there! Windows is not a virus. It's a bug.

CH

[Nyoibo]

Having just spent the better part of an hour trying to remove the Vista Internet Security virus/scareware I wholeheartedly agree with the death penalty, or at least something involving red hot pokers and extremely sensitive parts of anatomy.

[Tanasi]

I don't know if Windows Products (Vista, XP, Millenium) count technically as 'viruses' but make them code those over until they work properly? i.e. no bugs at all? (I don't think that's possible with a Windows product, so... they'd have a while)

I'm a software engineer and it's impossible to write complex software without any bugs. Also it's impossible to fool-proof software or anything for that matter because once you defeated the current fool a newer and more improved fool comes along.


I have a question for the board:
If the death penalty isn't a deterrent for the crimes of murder, rape, kidnapping then what makes you think it would be for virus creation or other cyber crimes???

[Rapscallion]

As stated earlier, formatting floppy disks for eternity.

Rapscallion

[Nyoibo]

I have a question for the board:
If the death penalty isn't a deterrent for the crimes of murder, rape, kidnapping then what makes you think it would be for virus creation or other cyber crimes???

Partly because people who commit cyber crimes are more cowardly.

[GINSENG]

Am I the only one who doesn't have a problem with people who make computer viruses?

As far as I know, if you don't go to websites that have viruses on them and don't accept everything that tries to get access to your computer, you won't get them.

Besides, there are ways to get them off your computer, as frustrating as they can be.